Grand plan for Anwar to join Najib's cabinet...

Since the Kajang state seat was vacated to pave the way for Anwar
Ibrahim to contest, there have been a slew of conspiracy theories. But
this is surely the grandest of them all.

In his latest blog posting, veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin, who has
strong connections in Umno, puts forward the possibility of the upcoming
by-election being a red herring.

He pens about the possibility of Anwar becoming a member of the cabinet with a powerful portfolio.

"What if all the hogwash about Anwar's candidacy and his taking over the
Selangor menteri besar post are in fact a red herring intended to hide
the backroom manoeuvring involving his camp and the prime minister’s
operators?

"What
if a very influential aide to the PKR's general leader had already
urged an equally influential member of the PM's inner chamber to work
out a deal whereby the 'ketua umum' (Anwar) will join the cabinet and be
given a portfolio that makes him very powerful?

"So powerful that it sends the shiver (in this dry burning weather) down
the spine of his enemies and the PM's critics," he added.

With the problem in the Selangor government continuing to fester, Kadir
said the opposition leader knows the risk of his own people jumping
ship.

"It's a mistake to underestimate Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's
resources and resourcefulness. He was a businessperson and a manager. He
knows mergers and acquisitions better than Anwar and (PKR deputy
president) Mohd Azmin Ali. He could apply his M&A skills to
politics.

"He has the ability to swing Selangor away from Pakatan Rakyat if he
feels that he is on the losing end. So entering into a deal with the PM
is a good way for Anwar to checkmate Khalid if he harbours such an
idea," he added.

For Najib Abdul Razak and members of his inner circle, Kadir said, they
could count on Anwar to battle former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and
ex-finance minister Daim Zainuddin.

"In one brilliant stroke, the PM strengthens his position, destroys
Pakatan and rids himself of his critics. Anwar gets to enjoy the
privileges and protection as a member of the government. And they can
live happily ever after," added the former New Straits Times editor-in-chief.

He has never attacked Najib

Adding a little weight to the conspiracy theory, Kadir also pointed out
that Anwar has never attacked Najib directly and vice-versa.

"Yes,
Anwar viciously attacked the government, BN and Umno. Yes he attacked
Mahathir and Daim. Mahathir and Daim in turn attacked him and criticised
the PM.

"Think also of the animosity between Anwar and Tunku Abdul Rahman and
Abdul Razak Hussein. How Anwar led a series of demonstrations against
them and was incarcerated under the ISA during Abdul Razak’s and Hussein
Onn's administrations.

"Remember he was freed from detention when Mahathir became PM in 1981
and in early 1982, Mahathir proudly paraded him before the press as the
newest member of Umno... And for the next 16 years, promoted him as the
crown prince of Umno and successor.

"Remember also that many Umno rebels left the party but later came back
to the fold and some went on to be appointed to the cabinet despite
having burnt bridges. So why not Anwar?" he asked.

Kadir also questioned if DAP had got wind of this plan, prompting party supremo Lim Kit Siang to ask
in his blog - "Who drafted this national reconciliation plan and who
had been consulted? This is still a great mystery up to now."

In view of this, the veteran newsman said that he would be the last
person to dismiss the reconciliation talk and of seeing Anwar being
"mainstream and politically correct" once again.

"Politics, according to German Prussian politician, Otto von Bismarck (1815 - 1898), is the art of the possible," he added.- malaysiakini

Reopen RM40mil Chia case, Rafizi tells MACC...

PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli wants the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission to reopen the case on Michael Chia, who was caught at the
Hong Kong International Airport with Singapore currency worth RM40
million in his luggage in 2008.

Chia was investigated with money laundering and trafficking by the Hong
Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) which reportedly
found that the money was earmarked for Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman.

This follows Chia's conviction by the Sandakan Sessions Court yesterday,
of cheating businessman Agus Hassan that the RM2.5 million that the
latter paid to obtain logging concessions, was to be given to Umno as a
political donation.

Rafizi, who is also Pandan MP, welcomed Chia's conviction saying this
showed the MACC could do their job in gathering evidence, but added the
case gives a picture of logging concessions being abused by politicians
and also civil servants to build their wealth.

“Chia's conviction raises questions of who is behind him. Chia has no
position in the government and certainly, he does not have the powers to
award logging concessions.

“The fact he manages to collect money from logging companies gives a
picture that these companies know that he is being a middleman for
someone who has the power and influence to award the logging
concessions,” said the Pandan MP.

Hence, Rafizi said, the conviction strengthens speculation on the controversial RM40 million Chia was found with.

MACC
investigations had shown that RM40 million were political contributions
to the state Umno and not for Musa, according to a parliamentary reply
by Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (left).

“With Chia's conviction I urge the MACC to re-open its investigations
on Musa and the RM40 million collected from logging companies as
evidence shows Chia's involvement in collecting it.

“His conviction is also a bad blow to Nazri Aziz who allegedly has
connections with Chia when his son used the Sabah businessman's luxurious vehicle prior to this.

"This again raises questions when Nazri who was then Minister in the
Prime Minister's Department, had explained truthfully in Parliament when
he said there were no corruption elements involving Chia and Musa,”
said Rafizi.

Catch big fish too

Rafizi said the case needs to be re-opened to ensure the MACC is not only getting the small fish but also the big ones as well.

Yesterday, it was reported that Chia was sentenced
to one year's jail and a stroke of the rotan for cheating Agus in June
2004 when the judge ruled Chia's defence had failed to raise reasonable
doubt to the prosecution's case.

Chia's lawyer has managed to obtain a stay of execution and is appealing the sentence and conviction to the High Court.

It was also previously reported that Chia was also arrested by the Hong Kong authorities for being implicated in the RM40 million saga.

This is the second time that Rafizi is asking the MACC to reopen its
investigations into the RM40 million matter as in 2012, there were
conflicting statements made by Nazri in Parliament when answering the
matter. Rafizi himself went to the Hong Kong ICAC to find out more on its investigations.- malaysiakini

…we have heard about the Kajang move, so to speak.
Anwar is going to contest there. What’s your take on the whole Anwar,
Khalid and Azmin issue?

Anwar
has never been able to solve any problem (laughing). Again, the weak
leadership. He’s not even elected in Parti KeAdilan Rakyat (PKR), yet he
wields so much power and influence. He decides what to do and so far,
the president and the rest are keeping quiet. They’re elected fellows
(laughs).

Anwar wants to be in the limelight all the time. Whether
good news, bad news, it doesn’t matter for him, as long as he’s in the
news (laughing). That’s Anwar lah. And you all have given so much space
to him — that’s what he loves. It doesn’t matter, even if you criticise
him also it’s news. You praise him also it’s news.

But this (Kajang move) is rubbish, wasting public funds.
And now Khalid said (reportedly) that he’s not going to resign (from the
Mentri Besar post).

Anwar 'weak' as his children not in rich list...

In a sarcastic response, PKR secretary general Saifuddin Nasution today
defended his boss Anwar Ibrahim against former finance minister Daim
Zainuddin by listing the PKR de facto leader's "weaknesses".

"Yes, I agree with Daim that Anwar is 'weak' as after 17 years in
government, none of his children are in the list of the top 10 richest
people in Malaysia.

"He is also weak as he failed to amass wealth like Daim. It is tough for me to forgive Anwar for this weakness," he said.

Saifuddin (right) added that Anwar was also a 'weak' finance
minister as he had then paid off national debts ahead of schedule and
avoided debt build up and a wide deficit.

In an interview
with Kinibiz published yesterday, Daim, who is also a successful
corporate figure said Anwar is weak as he never achieved anything while
in government.

He also said that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had similarly failed to provide national leadership.- malaysiakini

So why is Tun Daim Zainuddin quaking?Make no mistake, the former finance minister is worried. Worried enough that he keeps talking incessantly about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.Publicly, he dismisses the PKR de facto leader as a publicity hound, a man who craves the limelight and loves the next headline. Publicly, he runs the opposition leader down as someone who has never been able to solve any problem.Publicly, he says that Anwar's move to contest a by-election in Kajang is a complete waste of public funds.Apparently Daim's fixation with Anwar continues in private discussions but behind closed doors, the tone is less dismissive, less condescending.Those in his circle say he speaks with some concern over the consequences of an Anwar victory in Kajang; chiefly the real possibility of Anwar being the chief executive of the richest state in Malaysia with several billion ringgit at his disposal and the immediate impact on the morale of Umno members in Selangor and then around the country.Left unsaid is the fear that with a strong economic base and a platform to showcase stronger leadership qualities than the incumbent in Putrajaya, a rejuvenated and focused Anwar could lead Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to defeat Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general elections - an end result could prove particularly uncomfortable for Daim, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and other Umno leaders from the glory days of privatisation and excess.After all, Selangor is the country's richest and most-industrialised state and next to it is Kuala Lumpur, which make them rich pickings for infrastructure projects, property deals and business for cronies and others connected to Putrajaya.It would be in the interest of the few who have benefited in the past to ensure Selangor returns to the Barisan Nasional fold.Anwar leading the state would make that a remote possibility for the near future and turn Selangor into another political fortress like Kelantan is for PAS.To put it simply, there is a need to protect the golden goose.And Umno-linked tycoons will go all out to prevent Anwar from taking over as menteri besar.So do not be surprised if Daim takes more than a cursory interest in how Umno/BN are preparing for battle against Anwar.It would be in the interest of the old guard of the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad era if the current Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim does not vacate his position or at least drags out the whole process.And let's be clear, their disdain about the “Kajang move” has little to do with the use of public funds for a by-election.Because if they were truly concerned about how taxpayers money is spent, they would not have allowed the one-sided toll concessions or sweet deals for the independent power producers or keep water resources in the hands of a few connected businessmen.The battle for Kajang then, is really the battle over who gets to control Putrajaya in the nearest future.An Anwar win in Kajang could lead to Umno losing the federal government sooner than later. – tmi

Guan Eng: Anwar has guts, MCA doesn't...

Anwar Ibrahim has the gumption to battle Umno and BN whereas MCA does
not. And this, according to Lim Guan Eng, is the reason behind the
Chinese community’s backing for the opposition leader.

Known for his acerbic remarks, especially when it comes to MCA, the DAP
secretary-general ripped his rival to shreds and called on the BN party
to learn from P Waythamoorthy's experience.

Lim was referring to the Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia chairperson's resignation as deputy minister after blaming Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of reneging on his promise to help the Indians.

"MCA
should learn from the bitter lessons of Waythamoorthy, who resigned
after eight painful and fruitless months as deputy minister because
Waythamoorthy realised that he was deceived by Umno's lies and refused
to be a slave to those who discriminate and divide Malaysians.

"MCA is rushing to go back into government at the same time that
Waythamoorthy resigned, when it is clear that ministerial posts under
Umno are meaningless as it will not make any difference in policy nor in
bringing change that will improve the livelihood of the people," he
said in a statement today.

Lim also called on MCA president Liow Tiong Lai to apologise to the
Chinese community on behalf of the four MCA ministers responsible for
supporting Operasi Lalang in 1987.

He said Liow should do so if he continues to insist that Anwar is also culpable by virtue of his cabinet position and the principle of collective responsibility.

"Liow continues to pin the blame on Anwar even though Anwar was never
the home minister who signed the Internal Security Act (ISA) detention
orders.

"Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (right) recently admitted he was responsible as he signed the detention orders for Operasi Lalang.

"As a former detainee under Operasi Lalang, I can vouch that it was
Mahathir and not Anwar who signed the detention order for 18 months till
my release on April 19, 1989," he added.

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, claimed that Liow was attempting
to distract attention from MCA's failures as well as "hide the shame"
of MCA "abandoning its principle" of not accepting government posts for
performing badly in the last general election.

"It was MCA's support for Operasi Lalang and turning its back on justice
and human dignity that caused MCA to lose the support and respect of
Chinese voters.

"Wrongly blaming Anwar would not redeem MCA and earn back that support
principally because Anwar has decided to fight the oppression, injustice
and corruption of BN whilst MCA continues to be a slave to corrupt
extremists and racists merely to enjoy the perks and privileges of
ministerial office," he added. - malaysiakini

Rafizi questions Zaid's integrity, exposes emails...

PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli has exposed email correspondence
with former PKR member Zaid Ibrahim, purportedly showing Zaid had
lobbied for state land.

The emails sent in 2010, when Rafizi was Selangor economic office chief executive and Zaid (right) a party member, appear to show that this was on behalf of a "client" for land in Batu and Petaling Jaya.

"It is not what you shout, but what you practise,” Rafizi told a press conference at PKR headquarters today.

"Before you (Zaid can) challenge everyone and preach on integrity and transparency, explain these two (matters).”

When contacted, Zaid, who plans to contest the Kajang by-election as an
Independent against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim on March 23, said
he will respond at a press conference tomorrow.

According to copies of the emails distributed to media, Zaid had emailed
Rafizi on a joint venture proposal between a company and state
corporation Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor Bhd (KHSB).

A 26-acre parcel of land in Batu was proposed for a mixed development project involving medium-cost housing and shoplots.

It is unclear what the plans were for the Petaling Jaya land but the
“client” had, according to an email, valued the land at RM160 million.

Zaid allegedly said that his client, whose identity is being withheld by Malaysiakini for now, was in a “dispute” with the state and “just need(s) Tan Sri to okay (the) proposal”.

It is believed that the 'Tan Sri' refers to Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Proposal was requested

In his reply, Rafizi said the state already has plans for the Batu land
while the Petaling Jaya land belongs to several state entities,
including the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais).

“Regarding (the Petaling Jaya land), the state's approach will be to
invite a request for proposal (RFP) and evaluate the proposals and
financial and technical criteria, so that the most profitable and iconic
scheme will enter a joint venture with KHSB to develop the land.”

Rafizi also said that several state entities are embroiled in a tussle with Mais over the Petaling Jaya land.

“Our focus now is to get (Khalid) to put his feet down and get Mais to
agree to the transfer of land, so that a development scheme can be done
quickly.

“I suppose the interested parties can submit RFP from there on for
evaluation by the state. I hope this is sufficient for the time being,
will keep you in the loop,” Rafizi replied to Zaid.

Speaking to reporters at the PKR headquarters, Rafizi said the issue did
not proceed from there and that the state was never in the loop as a
proposal was not submitted.

He said the culture of using political clout to lobby state entities is
one that Zaid had carried with him from his past life as an Umno and BN
leader and this contravenes Pakatan Rakyat practices.

Rafizi also said that he chose to expose the issue after Zaid started attacking PKR on issues of integrity.

Zaid was former de facto law minister in the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
administration, but resigned on principle when a journalist and DAP MP
Teresa Kok were arrested under the Internal Security Act.

Besides Zaid, another of Anwar's former allies, S Nallakarupan, has said
he too will contest in the March 23 Kajang state by-election.

The Selangor and the federal governments have reached agreement on the
state’s takeover of all four water companies, which will receive
compensation of RM9.65 billion.

Putrajaya will also inject RM2 billion into the deal to help the Selangor government to acquire the shares of the companies.

In return, Selangor will allow the federal government to proceed with construction of the Langat 2 water treatment plant.

This had been stalled by absence of local council approval, which the
state had used to leverage its negotiations to take over the water
companies, toward cost-efficient management.

This brings to a close a near five-year tussle between the two governments for control of Selangor’s water supply services.

Star Online reported that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Energy, Water and Green Technology Minister Maximus Ongkili (left) and Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya today.

Malaysiakini was barred from covering the event and the press conference held afterwards by Ongkili, with Khalid alongside him.

However, information was obtained from an official from Khalid's (right) office, who attended the press conference.

The state government expects to complete the takeover process within three months, including share acquisition and employees.

It is understood that the companies will be managed by the state-owned Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd.

The Selangor government had run into a brick wall in dealing with the
water concessionaire - Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Bhd - appointed
during the BN-led administration prior to 2008.

The Pakatan Rakyat-led administration was therefore left frustrated in
its attempts to bring about cost-efficient management of water services,
reduction of non-revenue water and replacement of old pipes.- malaysiakini

Ex-Perak MB Nizar wins suit against TV3suku...

The
Court of Appeal today allowed an appeal brought by former Perak menteri
besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin against TV3 for defamation over the WWW 1
car licence plate issue.

A three-member panel headed by Justice Mohd Arif Mohd Yusof said Nizar
had successfully shown malice on the part of the defendants.

"We unanimously set aside the judgment by the High Court in Kuala
Lumpur. We find the defendants to be liable for defamation," Justice
Mohd Arif said.

The decision by the appellate court was unanimous.

The appellate court also ruled the defendants failed to prove justification in their news report.

The other judges were Justice David Wong Dak Wah and Justice Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim.

Justice Mohd Arif then ordered for the damages to be assessed by the High Court.

The court however agreed that TV3 is to pay RM30,000 in legal costs.

There are two different judgments which were written by the judges, and
Justice Mohd Arif indicated that they will be out tomorrow.

The former Perak menteri besar was represented by Mohd Fitri Asmuni while TV3 was represented by lawyer Liew Teck Huat.

TV3 may appeal

Nizar last year failed in his defamation suit against Sistem Televisyen (M) Bhd (TV3) and one other party.

This was after KL High Court judge Justice Yeoh Wee Siam said Nizar’s
tweet messages had clearly insinuated that the sultan of Johor had used
public funds to secure the WWW1 vehicle registration number in the bid.

Yeoh said the court was unable to agree
with Mohammad Nizar’s suggestion that his tweets must be construed
literally and entirely divorced from any inferences, implications, and
the normal understanding of a reasonable man.

“Based on the above considerations, the court dismisses the plaintiff’s
action against the defendants. Costs are to be borne by the respective
parties,” she ruled last year.

However, before another High Court judge, Nizar was successful in another suit on the same issue that he filed against Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia.

The KL High Court awarded RM250,000 in damages to Nizar and the appellate court upheld the decision last December.

It was reported that Nizar filed two separate suits against TV3 in 2012, after his tweet was allegedly twisted by the mainstream media.

Fitri told reporters that Utusan Malaysia has filed for leave to appeal.

Liew also told reporters on the sidelines that he would look at the full
judgment tomorrow and the television station is also likely to appeal.- malaysiakini

Recounting a life the exact opposite of the sanctimony described by controversial writer Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, former New Straits Times chief editor Datuk A. Kadir Jasin today rebutted the former’s attack against Muslims visiting non-Muslim houses of worship.In a post on his blog today, Kadir said he was moved to comment on the National Defence University senior lecturer’s apparent criticism against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to the church of the Holy Family and the Sri Maha Mariammam temple in Klang as the points of contention were near to his heart and part of his growing up.“I entered a church when I was studying in the St Michael primary and secondary schools in Alor Setar. Not to pray, but for shelter from the heat. I also went to churches to pay my respects to deceased Christian friends,” he wrote.This continued when Kadir went to New Zealand to pursue his studies in journalism, where he stayed with a priest for a week.“At his home, I learned of the ‘grace’ or prayer before meals, which went: ‘Bless, O Father, Thy gifts to our use and us to Thy service; for Christ’s sake, Amen’.”Pigs not created by Allah? Then by whom?In his commentary piece yesterday, the Muslim convert Ridhuan sought to depict Malay-Muslims as once so devout that they would shun even the flies that have come in contact with pork that is considered “haram” (forbidden) in Islam.But Kadir recounted a childhood that did not feature the purportedly strict adherence as claimed by Ridhuan.Instead, he said pigs were not unusual at the village where he grew up, and sometimes escaped the pens in which they were kept by Chinese villagers.The animals were also a familiar sight at a nearby Siamese village between Tanah Merah and Kubur Panjang in Kedah, as the residents there also domesticated pigs.“Pigs entering the village were a usual thing then. We chased them out or we let them be as long as they did not damage the crops or get too close to our homes.“In fact, my grandmother also managed to barter because of the pigs,” Kadir added.1Malaysia, yet nothing but total silence from Najib.Pointing out that visits to non-Muslim houses of worships were not alien to multicultural Malaysia, Kadir noted for instance Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s regular appearances in conjunction with non-Muslim religious festivities.“So what is wrong with a potential candidate speaking in a church or visiting a temple ... this is 1 Malaysia,” he continued.In a piece in Malay language daily Sinar Harian yesterday that appeared targeted at Anwar, Ridhuan yesterday lambasted Malays for willingly going to non-Muslims worship sites.“Extraordinary! Previously it was difficult to get Malays to enter churches or temples, and they would even avoid walking outside if they could help it. In markets, they would avoid passing or looking at pork and the pork seller.“Such was Malays concern for their way of life,” he wrote.Although Anwar was not specifically named in the article, Ridhuan’s warning for Kajang candidates not to sell out their religion came a week after PKR’s nominee for the March 23 by-election spoke in a church there and a day after he visited a Hindu temple in the constituency. - Malay Mail

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